Designer pieces are every fashionista's dream. They are gorgeous, extremely well made, ideal for boosting your social status and … hugely expensive. Nonetheless, they are not exclusively reserved for wealthy people; even those who have less money can afford them (if they follow some rules for shopping). Note: This article only refers to those who belong to the middle class, or to a higher one.
Steps
Step 1. Do some research
To buy clothes created by renowned designers, you need at least to know who those designers are. Click on style.com and read the list of stylists, becoming familiar with these names. Look at their collections and get used to the individual style of each one. The names that everyone knows are Chanel, Dior, Fendi, Versace, Gucci, Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino and Armani. Of course, there are many other designers and brands, but these listed are perfect for getting started, especially if you don't know that much about the fashion world.
Step 2. Find out the stylists' price swings
They generally range between 200 (for a small item like a pair of glasses) and 3,000 euros, for a prêt-à-porter (or ready-to-wear) piece; a piece of haute couture plus instead easily exceed 75,000 euros. There are also more expensive and cheaper brands. Brands such as Juicy Couture, Versace Jeans Couture and Ralph Lauren are the cheapest (but still expensive), while Dior is among the most expensive. Buy a few glossy magazines, such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar or Elle, and inquire about the prices of each brand.
- Some designers even create lines for cheaper stores or make their own "low cost" line. Some of them are Marc by Marc Jacobs, Versace Jeans Couture or Miu Miu (by Miuccia Prada).
- Don't be shocked by the high prices. Sure, they may be over the top, but most clothing items are worth it. Not to mention the fact that, if the shop assistants hear you complaining about the high costs, they will treat you considerably with less respect.
- Save some money. If you typically spend 95% of your monthly income on everything you need (even if your husband, wife, or parents have a pretty good salary), it's time to consider whether everything you buy is really a necessity. Spending your money wisely will help you cut unnecessary expenses and afford more quality products and services. The golden rule is this: if you don't need an item or it doesn't give you significant pleasure, don't buy it.
- Save some of the cost of your bills by trying to get your work done before dark and go to bed early. Turn off the lights in a room when you are not in it (to save on electricity), take a shower instead of a bath (to save on water), ride a bike instead of driving (to save on fuel) and so on. Street. You will support both the environment and your budget.
- Manage your money wisely when you go out. If you are used to doing this often and spending and spending on things you don't need, then these expenses are wasteful.
- Consider taking a part-time job if you have the time. Every euro you earn serves.
Step 3. Visit your local multi-brand boutiques so you know which designer pieces are available in your area
Not all designers can be found in every country. Generally, every major city has good clothing stores, and every capital (or state capital in the US) has at least one single-brand store. Find out which brands the closest multi-brand store to you sells.
If you want pieces made by a designer whose garments are not available in your country, try shopping on sites like eBay or Amazon. They do international shipping for almost anything you want to buy but can't find in your area (not just clothes). The downside is that you can't see the products before actually buying them, which can lead to fakes. Watch out
Step 4. Be aware of your needs and priorities
It is crucial that you know what you need to shop effectively; nothing is as bad as spending € 1,000 on a certain item and then returning home to understand that it cannot be combined with what you already have. Take a look at your closet. Analyze it as a whole, don't just look at the individual pieces. What do you see? Think about when you need to dress elegantly for a certain occasion: do you find something appropriate to wear?
- If your wardrobe is full of low-cost pieces, opt for the basics when you go shopping: a pair of black trousers, a white shirt, a trench coat, a gray cardigan, a pair of black shoes, a suit and a little black dress. Buy them based on the one that best suits your body type and the best quality you can find. If you have these items, you can mix and match them with the clothes you already own.
- If your closet is a mix of wise style choices and fashion mistakes, somewhere between good quality and not so good quality, then you need to get rid of most of the poor quality pieces and buy clothes that add a touch of glamor to the quality ones you already have. You probably already have the basics for neutral looks, so start acquiring pieces that draw attention to yourself. Go for interesting details, like sequins or lace, geometric prints and neon colors.
- If your wardrobe consists of clothes that hang well but don't flatter you, sell them at a thrift store, eBay or Amazon and try to find pieces that look good on you. Buy books on this subject - they are very useful.
Step 5. Set aside a good amount of money for your next shopping tour
Calculate € 400-1,500 per shopping session to purchase designer items, so you can make sure you afford what you find in these stores.
Step 6. Here are some suggestions regarding pricing
Factors contributing to the price increase are the amount of fabric used (smaller and thinner clothes will cost less than long and heavier ones), the number of details sewn on the pieces (such as buttons or sequins; a sweater with sequins will cost much more than just a simple one), the designer (read above), the date of purchase (wait for the sales), the current situation of the world economy (prices will be either much higher or much more lower than usual during a moment of crisis) and the season (if the piece belongs to the summer collection but you buy it in winter, the price will be lower; as these garments attract customers, no shop likes to keep items that are too old in their stocks, but throwing them away is a bigger waste of money).
Step 7. Look for wearable designer clothes
Each season, the stylists want to create something totally new and original, to prove their creativity and their skill in the press and in the world, so that their imagination is thought to be unlimited; and it really is, but at the cost of creating clothes that are absolutely inconceivable in everyday life. Follow this rule: if you don't imagine an average person wearing a garment you see on the catwalks on the street, it is likely that it is not very wearable. Or visualize your outfit being reviewed in the Fashion Police program and imagine what they would say about you. You can be original without looking like you've just landed from another planet.
Step 8. Use common sense
This is perhaps the easiest part; you know the fine line between expensive, quality clothes that are worth the price they have and clothes that are simply not good enough for their cost (maybe they are beautiful, but they are not worth what they cost). If you don't know how to place a piece and can't decide between the “it's worth it” and the “not worth it” category, divide the price by the number of times you would probably wear it; the lower this number, the more the dress is worth the price it costs. The magic of designer clothes is that they are made with the finest fabrics and by the best tailors; as a result, they last longer over time and don't spoil very easily, not to mention that they look amazing for years and years. Also, consider the originality of the garment. If you can find it practically in hundreds of other stores, don't buy it, and that mostly refers to pieces like jeans or white t-shirts. So if you know you won't be wearing the dress multiple times or that the design is too common, opt for something cheaper at another good store.
Step 9. Don't let trends influence your shopping principles
As much as the newspapers try to promote a certain item, if it doesn't fit your needs, don't buy it. Women who pay more attention to trends than to their own style and fashion needs tend to buy more useless things, and therefore to throw away more money. Don't buy clothes that will go out of style as quickly as they jumped into the limelight. When you buy something, ask yourself: "Will this piece still be trendy in 10 years?". If the answer is no, it is not worth your purchase. Sure, today everyone loves and likes this trendy piece you own, but, tomorrow, the same people who admired it 24 hours ago will say it's ugly and out of date. Trends change extremely fast, and most of us can't keep up with them. Doesn't all this bother you?
Step 10. Don't go shopping when you are sad, tired or hungry
Shopping when your mood isn't the best is not the best way to buy what suits you best. If you don't have much time, eat something on your way to the store (be sure to wash your hands afterwards), take a 10 minute break or call a friend to let off steam about the cause of your unhappiness, and you'll feel much more relieved.
Step 11. Choose your clothing style and stick with it
If you are still looking for your fashion identity, you will throw away a lot of money on clothes that you will not like in the end because, when you bought them, you did not know what your tastes were.
Step 12. Go hunting for discounts
While not bargain prices, if you find a good deal, it could mean saving $ 100, or more, which is a substantial amount of money for most of us. Sales are generally scheduled for January, July or, in any case, at the end of the season.
Step 13. Take care of the design pieces you already have
If badly maintained, clothes get dirty, expand, crease and so on and so forth. Learn how to take care of it; if you don't follow the instructions, you will probably end up throwing them away because they won't suit you anymore (which equates to hundreds, maybe thousands, of wasted dollars) and going back to the store to buy more items, which may end up in exactly the same way as others. If you are not sure how to clean a certain item, you have two options: take it to the laundry or look at the label (no, not the one that says the price or brand of the piece); the clothes have a label with washing instructions. Do you have doubts about how to clean certain clothes? Read the articles in the Cleaning subcategory of wikiHow.
Advice
- Even extremely expensive clothes can have flaws. It rarely happens, but it does. Scrutinize anything that looks suspicious in the appearance and / or tactile characteristics of the item. If you find something weird, don't buy it.
- Another thing you can do is buy designer clothes and, at the end of the season, resell them to a thrift store. This way, you get your money back to buy new pieces. So let's say you have 500 euros of extra money and you invest it all in a new wardrobe, but then these clothes go out of style the following season. If you sell the garments clearly stating that they are couture, you will probably get most of your money back, if not all of it. which were not created by famous designers, etc.).
- If you happen to come across an extraordinarily cheap piece for his brand (for example 175 euros for a pair of pants), don't buy it right away; try it on, see how it fits on you, see if it fits your style and then buy it. Just because the price is incredibly low, that doesn't mean you automatically have to make it yours. If it doesn't fit your style, save your money for something that truly convinces you.
- You can also buy high-quality clothes and accessories from brands that, although not as prestigious as those of the major designers, have very good pieces at lower prices (no more than 500 euros for otherwise too expensive items, such as, for example, the furs). The average prices of these brands are between 50 and 350 euros, with some lower or higher exceptions. They are more accessible and almost of the same quality and uniqueness as the garments of the designers (J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, etc.).
- Go shopping after paying the taxes and bills you owed, but before the 20th of each month. People have more money at the beginning of the month.
- Look after your appearance when entering a store that sells expensive brands. If you don't dress well, the purchasing assistants will respect you even less than they would if you complained about the prices. The clothes don't necessarily have to be from a reputable designer, just quality enough to make you look refined and well-groomed.
- You must know that designer clothes are not sewn for models and worn only by these professionals. Look for the pieces that enhance you, regardless of their cost; if an item of clothing is very cheap but doesn't fit you, don't buy it.
Warnings
- Never buy the fakes. They are not substitutes for designer pieces. As well as they imitate the original, it is always possible to understand that they are not authentic and distinguish them from the real ones. Remember that most fakes are produced in industries that rely on child labor; these children are illegally employed for a meager salary and are often exploited; if you buy the fakes, you will support this practice.
- Don't turn shopping into a drug. It is true that a woman never has enough clothes, but despairing to buy is unhealthy and useless, since you will never be happy and you will never be satisfied with what you already have. It's okay to keep shopping even after you've developed a large and varied wardrobe, but don't go beyond normal limits.
- Avoid going bankrupt at any cost due to a lack of common sense in shopping. If you are not well off, you should worry about every investment you make, and know if it is worth it or not.
